NotSoLittle White Lies
by auroraziazan
Summary: While delivering a potion to a clinic, Professor Snape runs into someone he wasn't expecting to see.
1. Things Unexpected

Things Unexpected

  
  


Severus Snape pushed up his loose sleeves and grabbed a bit of leather cord to tie his hair out of his face. He didn't mind making these potions so much, especially during the summer when there were no students bothering him, but the clammy air of the dungeons below his house combined with the steam coming off the cauldron did tend to make one rather damp. After a few tentative minutes of wild boiling when he wasn't sure if he would have to dump the whole batch and start again from the beginning, it settled to a somewhat stable simmer. It appeared that at this point it would be stable enough that he could leave it, perhaps, and get a quick shower just to cleanse himself from the awful sliminess of it all.

Fifteen minutes later, fresh and in lighter clothes, he returned to the vaporous cauldron. It was to be a rather strong anaesthetic, with a time release healing potion mixed in, and those always proved difficult. He sighed and began stirring, and slowly added the powdered lavender. It took several hours of constant, mind-numbing motion before the steam abruptly ceased issuing from the cauldron, and it turned from a deep red to completely clear. He almost dropped his stirred into the solution by surprise. "It worked! By Merlin, I don't think I actually expected that to happen!" He quickly wrote down the proceedings in his journal before grabbing a blank parchment.

  
  


Doctor Broadmoor,

I apologize it this is terse, but I was able to complete the potion you requested. I understand that it is needed for the surgery this afternoon, so as soon as I can bottle it and clean myself up I will bring the required amounts over to you in the clinic. Please be sure to owl me in the future when other such needs arise. 

Severus Snape

  
  


He exited his laboratory and hurried up the stairs to the cage where his owl was sleeping. "Up, girl, you've got a delivery." He quickly sealed and stamped the note before tying it to the owl's leg and opening the window to send it out. He paused a moment to consider before going to his room and changing into more appropriate clothing. The robes were unnecessary, and indeed a bad idea since he would probably have to walk through the Muggle hospital on his way to the clinic. He slipped his wand in his pocket before heading back to the dungeons. He bottled as much of the cauldron's contents as he could, grabbing three large bottles to take with him to the clinic. He went into the mudroom, the edge of his wards, and Apparated from there to a lavatory of a bookstore a few blocks away from the hospital. He discovered it to be almost always empty, though he shuddered to think of the problems he'd have to deal with if ever it wasn't.

Bethany wasn't waiting for him in front as she usually did when he had deliveries, and he had learned better than to ask the receptionist at the front desk about anyone from the clinic. He negotiated the busy patches by himself before walking through the wall that appeared to lead into the nursery. There she was, going down that corridor. He called to her as she turned into a doorway. "Bethany! Doctor Broadmoor!" She heard his voice and turned abruptly. He moved quickly to catch up with her. "Am I too late? Did you get my message? I came as quickly as I could. I'm almost positive it should work. It should be rather potent, actually."

"I'm sure it will be fine Severus. Thank you for doing this, and for your punctuality. Would you mind waiting out here just a moment while I check on the girl in here?" And without waiting for an answer, she disappeared into the room.

Severus leaned against the pale wall, sack in hand. He liked the challenge her potions demands posed to him, but somehow being around Bethany always brought out a tendency to babble, the effects of which embarrassed him to no end. She came back out several minutes later, using her wand to highlight several things on a chart and shrink it. "Here is the potion, Doctor Broadmoor. Only give the patient a few drops at first, and if it doesn't work, a bit more, but absolutely no more than a spoonful. Do you have any other tasks while I'm here?"

"Actually," she began, walking down the hall, "There is something I'd like you to deliver if it's not too much trouble. It's just inside the hospital, but it's out in the other half, you know."

"What do you need sent over there?" he asked harshly.

"It's to one of ours. Probably one of yours, actually. She was in for almost a year before her letter came, and let me tell you, that was a shock to them on the other side. I had to swear up and down I'd had no sign of it, and nothing to do with it. She's been spending most of her holidays here since, and even a few Christmases. Poor child."

"Why don't they move her over to this side, so she can at least have some familiar company?"

"She's Muggle-born. I've never met her parents, but I have reason to believe she's mostly supported by the state. Besides, it's leukemia, not exactly one we're prepared to handle. She's been coming over here a good bit, though. I showed her how to get here in her wheelchair after she got her letter, and have been picking up books and things for her for years."

He perked up at that last sentence, but didn't have time to ask her his question because she quickly handed him a package before turning away. "I'm sorry I can't talk, but that surgery will be starting any minute now."

He took the package and sighed in frustration. Mentally, he began running through images of his students, thinking who it might be and how they might have hidden such a thing. An overly cheery receptionist directed him to the right wing, and then he just had to walk down the hall of open doors, hoping it was a student he knew minimally. And please don't let it be one of Minerva's bloody Gryffindors.

Apparently the god that normally watched over Slytherins was otherwise occupied, because through the second to last door his eyes landed on the sleeping figure of none other than Hermione Granger.

  
  
  
  


Disclaimer: I do not own Severus or Hermione. I do own Bethany Broadmoor, but she's not really very important yet.

  
  


A/N: Hello, to all my lovely readers. I'm going to warn you now, I've been reading Snapefic for months, and somehow I've got a major block on things not involving the interaction between Snape and Hermione. So expect a few more of these in the future, though they are not in the same universe (really important that you remember that!). I am definitely going to continue updating this one, as long as somebody more than Jobey is reviewing. 


	2. An Arrangement is Made

An Arrangement is Made

  
  


Severus walked in the door hesitantly. She was the only patient in the room. Her trunk , which he assumed was mostly full of heavy texts and dusty leather bounds, was under the bed. He walked closer with the intention of just leaving his parcel on the night stand, but kept his eyes carefully on her face, trying to keep from disturbing her. Several strands of her bushy hair seemed to have worked themselves into her mouth, and she was working her lips in subconscious frustration. Not thinking, he looped his fingers under them near the roots and eased them gently out to join the rest. Unfortunately, the sensation seemed to have an effect on her.

Hermione stirred restlessly, and he could see her eyes beginning to move. He set the parcel down and was almost out the door before he heard her voice. "Wait. Please, whatever you're here for, just do it, I'm not asleep anymore."

He turned abruptly to face her. "I'm not here for anything, Miss Granger. Go back to sleep."

"Professor Snape?"

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question, but I get the feeling we are both far too literal for it to provide satisfactory answers. I was requested by Doctor Broadmoor to deliver that," he intoned, gesturing to the package on her table.

She tore off the invoice eagerly. "Ooh, I've been waiting for this!" She grasped the sides of it, but after a feeble attempt to lift it collapsed back into her pillows.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"I think so, I'm sorry for troubling you, this has been happening more often lately. Would you mind just handing it to me?"

He quickly moved across the room, hefted the book, tore through and removed its paper covering, and set it down on her lap. "An Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs and Fungi and Their Properties? Circe, I wouldn't read that book unless I had to, and certainly not cover-to-cover," he responded, blinking and shaking his head lightly. "Which is, I presume, what you had intended to do?"

"I just thought it would help me prepare for my O.W.L.s, sir, since I could pick up potions and herbology information at the same time."

"Are you sure you're up for it? It's rather dry, if you hadn't figured that out already."

She merely nodded. Lord, who was this girl? The pale, weak thing on the bed had none of the fire or strength that defined Hermione Granger, and he just didn't have the heart to continue this with her.

"Does Albus know?"

"Probably. I haven't told him, and he hasn't spoken to me about it, but I think it probably would have gotten onto my forms somewhere when I was signed up. I'm not really sure, I never saw them. Bethany sends me my medicine, and makes sure I have energy potion."

"Who filled out your forms, when you signed up? Where do you go, when you're not here?"

"My parents, I'm pretty sure. I go to school, Hogwarts I mean. I stay in a room in the Leaky Cauldron right before term starts. I was at the Weasleys for a bit last year."

"I mean your home, child. Your family."

"I haven't been home in the longest time, sir. I haven't seen my parents in over two years. I'm here for treatments over the summer hols, and sometimes over Christmas too, and the hospital just sends someone to meet me at the station or pays for me to take a cab over."

"And this is your home, your life? Are you able to deal with this well enough at school?"

"It was a bit of a mess my third year. I guess you probably know that I was using a Time Turner. I'm quite sure Professor McGonagall didn't know about this," she gestured weakly to the room around her and the IV drip hooked up to her arm, "or she wouldn't have let me. That was why I really had to give it up. I'm supposed to have a strict schedule for my medicine, but I was living so many more hours than the clock that I couldn't keep track of it and ended up making myself sicker."

"You don't have to deal with this yourself, you know. I'm sure Minerva would like to know about this, if only to prepare her for other things. Poppy would probably be willing to let you take some of your treatments in the hospital wing, so you could at least be a bit connected to your friends. And while we're on the subject of medicine, you might as well just come to me for your potions, since I think I've been making them up and sending them to Bethany just for her to send them back to you."

"I don't want to, though. I don't want McGonagall always worried about me, or dealing with people hovering over me with sweets in the hospital wing when I'm like this. I wouldn't mind going to you for my potions, since you already know, but I don't want everyone involved in this. I know it's not much, but it's my life, and it's the only way I know how to live it."

"All right, child, don't work yourself up. No one's going to make you change anything, me least of all. I didn't come here to argue or lecture, just to drop off your book, though my good sense would tell me not to leave you with that thing. I assume you will be stable enough to return to us at the beginning of term?"

"As far as I know, sir. They say I'm responding well enough to the treatments. Not exactly improving, but handling everything well enough that I can mostly continue everything for the next year at least," she responded frankly.

"Are you going to be a prefect?"

"I'd like to."

"Do you plan on getting any sleep next year?"

"Oh, I have to, sir, at least four hours a night. Bethany made me promise."

"And you'll be needing somewhere to take your medicine, I suppose?"

"Well, I used Myrtle's toilet last year, but my dosage has increased a bit, and I really don't like being in there any longer than I have to."

"You can use my office-"

"Thank you, sir, I wasn't expecting-"

"For a price. I will be working on a few projects this year that will need an extra set of eyes and hands. Are you willing?"

"Certainly, sir. Thank you."

"Arrange for your medicines to be posted to me. No one suspects anything when I receive packages at breakfast. Meet me in my classroom after the Sorting Feast to arrange anything left." His voice softened. "And do get rest up, child. I don't want to imagine having to deal with Longbottom actually making all of his own potions."

He turned and left the room before she could reply, leaving both of them with much to think about.

  
  
  
  


A/N: Well, what do people think? I know it's been a while, but I have had absolutely no time to write for ages. I really shouldn't have been doing this now, as we're in the middle preparing Passover dinner, but I couldn't leave it any longer. I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions. Much love!

  
  


To my reviewers -

  
  


Cult of the Cynical Giant Cow - (which is an awesome name, by the way) Thank you. I have lots of fun with Snapefic, even though sometimes it's really tempting to make him totally OOC. And as squicky as SS/HG felt at first, I like that pairing more the more I write it.

  
  


ann no aku - Thank you for your opinion. I know the beginnings of my stories are often a little odd, but there's a lot of character development to be done with this one.

  
  


Saavik - She hides a lot of things. She's got the chronic kind, so it's just sort of slowly getting worse, and it's not that hard to hide a pill or a day when you just feel a little sick and out of temper. Besides, there's always been a lot of time she doesn't spend with the boys.

  
  


Jana B - Thank you for telling me about the category. As far as I know, it's fixed now. That's definitely not the pairing I intended for this. And I'm glad you like it.

  
  


Green Eyed Lady - Thank you immensely for all the encouraging with this pairing. I never would have gotten this past the bunny warden if you hadn't told me to go ahead. And of course I always cut off before the good parts. If I put all the good parts in, I'd never finish a chapter! And you were right about updating, though I did manage to postpone it a good deal longer than I should have. I liked being able to use the beginning to introduce the character, kind of a Sevie that we've never met before. I did use some personal experience with the emotion in that seen, though I do not ever say "Merlin's beard!" (at least not in public). And have we ever really seen Snape throw a temper tantrum? I don't remember it. I know he's a little OOC with Bethany, but he did mention at one point that he's always a bit of a mess around her, and hates it. If I haven't really made it clear, this is just the summer where the books are stuck now, between fourth and fifth years. I'm never clear as to time in my fics, because all the ones that make it very obviously clear it feels forced. Like "Oh, in case you couldn't tell, my story is just like every other fifth year story in existence." Thanks for your insightful comments. I'm not sure, but I don't think we'll be seeing much more of Bethany, at least not for a while. 

  
  


Weirdo - Well, I tried my best, tell me what you think. There should be more soon, as my schedule from heck lasts only two more weeks.


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